


The Fable of Filcher

by Whuffie



Series: Breaking the Wall [6]
Category: Dragon Age Inquisition - Fandom
Genre: Drabble, Dragon Age - Freeform, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 11:30:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4477634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whuffie/pseuds/Whuffie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A "handy" Nugalope has joined the stables and immediately gets himself into trouble.  Master Dennet and Blackwall look on as it creates an incident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fable of Filcher

Blackwall had made his home over the stables and tended a fire which kept himself and the animals warm during the winter.  He’d begun to occasionally stay overnight with Alpha in her quarters, but he was comfortable in the stables.  Used to a solitary life, it kept him away from the most of the people and pilgrims who came to the fortress.  His excuse was that he liked time to himself, but it also kept anyone from recognizing him.  The odds of that were almost non existent now that he wasn’t wearing an Orlesian mask and grew his beard out, but he preferred not to take the chance.  The stables were peaceful, and it wasn’t unheard of for him to lend a hand cleaning out stalls, helping the farrier, or moving hay bales.  He liked the Ferelden horsemaster, and they’d formed a quiet camaraderie.  It always impressed Blackwall that the man didn’t pry into anyone’s business, in spite of Alpha’s visits to a quiet, dark corner which usually ended in heated kissing.  She made him feel like a teenager again, sneaking behind the barn to grope a girl.  It was as ridiculous as it was gratifying.  
  
The two men stood side by side as they both stared at the creature which had been freshly stabled next to the horses.  For several minutes they were a mirror image, with arms folded over their chests.  Both were bewildered at the big beast which was rooting around in the corner of the pen, occasionally popping up a huge head crowned with even bigger ears to look around.    
  
Blackwall finally broke the silence.  “What is it?”  
  
Dennet drummed his fingers against his elbow and backed up a step as the beast propped a pair of paw hands on the edge of the stall doors.  “They called it a nugalope.”  
  
Wedging itself halfway over the door, it reached out and finger-like paws groped at the air as it stretched toward a visiting cluster of Orlesians who Josephine was showing the grounds.    
  
“It has _hands_ for spit sake!” the horsemaster exploded, although not loud enough for the visitors to overhear.  “I’ve never seen the like.”  
  
“What does it eat?”  Blackwall had seen stranger things, including pictures of griffons.  The legendary Warden mounts were half eagle half lion.  Few things were more peculiar than that combination, but he’d admit that the nugalope was close.  
  
“So far?  Everything.  It has long teeth in the front and flat ones in the back.  Unless the front is for defense like the horns must be, I think they eat meat and anything a horse will.”  
  
“That’s useful,” Blackwall offered with interest as he cocked his head to one side and shifted his weight.  “At least it won’t be hard to feed.  Do you think Alpha or anyone else will be able to actually ride it?”  
  
“If it doesn’t take the saddle off itself, first.  Hands,” he grumbled under his breath.  “Whoever heard of a mount having hands!  As in it _handles_ things.  I caught it unbuckling its own reins yesterday.”  
  
“It also eats hats.”  Blackwall observed, tilting his head to the opposite side.  He thought about intervening to rescue the visitor or help Josephine.  No amount of training as a soldier or swordsman covered a creature who just plucked a hat off an Orlesian woman’s head, unwinding her fancy hair in the breeze, and nearly making her mask fall off.  It also amused him too much not to watch, and made a mental note to tell Sera about it.  
  
The nugalope popped the woman’s hat into its mouth and began to crunch on it, a silly grin plastered on the thing’s face as if it had just solved the riddles of the world.  
  
“That _thing_!” the woman shrieked, making several horses toss their heads and stamp at the shrill note.  “That _monster_ just _devoured_ my hat!”  Although there were hardly any of her countryman to see her, she hastily readjusted her mask.  
  
“I am so terribly sorry!”  Josephine valiantly tried to soothe the woman’s indignation.  “He was a gift from a very prominent merchant and we didn’t realize his appetites were so... broad.  He really is quite tame and isn’t the least dangerous.”  
  
“You better go get Inquisition,” Dennet suggested, not moving.  
  
“I’ll go get her,” Blackwall agreed after a long pause and a glance at the unruffled horsemaster.  



End file.
